As I was browsing through the companion book, I came across a spread called “The Sorcerer Spread – the Magic Mirror of Self-Reflection”. According to the companion book, this is where the God faces himself in his sorcerer aspect – the magician, Merlin. Now as I huge fan of the Arthurian tradition and especially Merlin, I had to give this spread a try. It is self-analysis spread that is designed to tell you the truth about yourself (which can render it a difficult spread to use). The authors suggest that it is an excellent spread for spiritual growth and assessment.

This card (the equivalent of the Knight of Swords) features the Monkey King from the Chinese tradition – a brave (although arrogant) quester who strives for Buddhahood. This card suggests a desire for change, a flurry of ideas & thoughts, as well as a tendency towards mischief. In this position, all of the new ideas and thoughts that I’ve had recently are considered strengths – and perhaps some of these ideas will end up manifesting as new projects (it is my hope, at least). I often think of rushing forward when I see this card – which is kind of what I am doing at the moment in the pursuit of a career path.

Card 2: Your weaknesses – 5 of Coins

This card certainly has been showing up a lot lately for me. It depicts Lucifer’s fall and portrays him as alone, naked, cold and possibly injured in the snow. Lightening flashes above him. This is a card of material loss, material concerns and of generally feeling “out in the cold.” Yes, I can relate to this card as things have been a tad tough in the material realm lately. But what I see here is a caution — of not focusing too much on financial issues as living in a mentality of lack will prevent me from achieving my goals. This is certainly a weakness that I am aware of – and need to put in more work to move away from it.

Card 3: Where you are coming from (a stage you are currently leaving) – 9 of Coins

This card features Ivan Tsarevitch and a mythical golden firebird of Russian folklore, both of which appears in the well-known story “Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf”. This card focuses on success, independent business, self-reliance and being alone. I am currently moving away from an entirely solitary venture (my main business) and focusing more on my Tarot business, which involves people and community. So this card makes perfect sense to me! Although I have not as of yet made a firm decision to abandon my main business, I am definitely leaning away from it and putting more of my focus into those projects that I love – mainly, those including community.

Card 4: Where you are going to (a stage you are currently entering) – 4 of Swords

This card features San Galgano, an Italian saint who gives up all of his worldly possessions to take on a holy vow of poverty. This card typically suggests a time out – a period of rest & retreat (especially after a challenging time), recuperation and healing. Sometimes, even a release from suffering. In this position, it may suggest that moving away from my stressful venture into something less hectic and more in line with my soul purpose could provide me healing, peace and renewal. I may now be entering a calmer period of my life (deep sigh).

Card 5: Who you are/where you are Mentally – 7 of Wands

This card features Cuchullain, a legendary Irish warrior featured in Celtic lore. In this card, seven spears of his enemies are pointed towards him, as he barely clings to life. This card is a card of struggle & challenge, of standing up for what you believe in – of remaining true to yourself. I have to admit, as of late I was feeling very close to what Cuchullain must be feeling in this card – exhausted and defeated. This card makes sense to me as I am now in a position of defending myself and my new choices. However, since I am moving away from a project that caused me stress, I am actually feeling more confident and ready to defend my new position.

Card 6: Who you are/where you are Spiritually – Nurturer of Coins

This card is the equivalent of the Queen of Coins/Pentacles in the RWS tradition and features Khem/Min/Khemnu, the ram-headed god of fertility in the Egyptian tradition. My spirituality is strongly tied to the land – to Mother Earth. Life got busy for awhile and I have to admit that my spirituality ended up getting pushed aside. I recently have begun focusing heavily on it again so this card coming up here is not surprise. The Nurturer of Coins is a card of the land – of fertility, sustenance, abundance. Gardening, coupled with spirituality has been a big focus for me as of late so I can definitely confirm this card’s meaning here.

Card 7: Who you are/where you are Emotionally – The Quest

This card is the equivalent of The Chariot in the RWS tradition and here, it depicts Sir Galahad from the Arthurian Legend. In this card, he is rushing forward in order to reach The Holy Grail. I actually chuckled when I turned over this card as I could so relate to this image. My emotions have definitely been all over the map as of late, being as I am in the midst of a huge decision making process. Basically, I have trying to figure out what exactly is my Quest. As I near the end of this process, I feel a sense motivation, as I choose to chase down my dreams, much like Sir Galahad here.

Card 8: Who you are/where you are Physically/Materially – The Wheel of Fortune

This card features Oedipus, from the Greek tradition, whose story shows us that we cannot escape our destiny, no matter how we try. This is a card of changes and cycles, of taking a chance. As I move from one career to another, the will no doubt be a change in my material status (hopefully for the better!). This may indicate that my current change may be more beneficial for my health as a lot of the stress that I was experiencing will be lessened.

Card 9: Your true self, or your calling at this time – 10 of Swords

This card depicts The Norse Gods’ Ragnarok, the battle between the Gods and monsters that brings about the end of all things – ruin and destruction. Not exactly the card I wanted to see in this position! But this card is also a card of starting again, of letting go of dying circumstances and making a new beginning. The authors in the companion books call it an opportunity for a clean slate. As I am moving into a completely new phase and focus in my life, this card does make sense. I am coming to an end to a difficult period and by letting go of that which no longer was working, I am moving toward a more positive period in my life, one with a completely different focus.

All in all, this spread was very eye-opening and relevant (in even more personal ways that I did not elaborate on here). Give it a try – you may gain some interesting insights about yourself. I know I did.

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